Speaking to the Radio Times about the rise of public school actors, he said that although he respects The Imitation Game actor, he wouldn’t make convincing publican.

The 37-year-old said: “In this country, he has got utmost respect, but if he walked into a pub he’d get annihilated by geezers, he’d be bullied.”

He added: “I love Benedict. The Imitation Game looks amazing. He couldn’t play a kid from a working-class estate, but I couldn’t do what he does either.

“I think that I could play Sherlock, though, if I did it my way. Benedict’s brilliant and the lines roll off his tongue, but that role is about being highly intelligent rather than posh.

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The actor said he’d love to play Doctor Who

“There’s a niche for what I do. And there’s a demographic for Benedict. But it means that he’s more likely to get roles in Hollywood and I’m more likely to stay living in Debden.

“In this country, he has got utmost respect, but if he walked into a pub, he’d get annihilated by geezers. He’d be bullied.”

If Danny is serious about bagging Benedict’s Sherlock role he’ll have a long wait.

Benedict has said he’s in it for the long haul and hopes to play the eccentric character until he’s an old man.

During a recent interview with Vogue Magazine, the actor dispelled rumours he might be quitting the mystery TV series because of his new A-list status.

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Sherlock returns with a special episode in 2015

The 38-year-old says he is pleased with the direction of the show and plans to stay on for the foreseeable future.

“If we can keep the quality up, I can’t imagine that I will ever get tired of being Sherlock,” he said.

“I’d love to play him as an old man.”

It was recently announced the show will be returning for a one-off special which has in 2015.

One of the show’s creators, Mark Gattis, also revealed the new episodes will feature “tragedy”, sparking rumours Mary Watson – played by Martin Freeman’s off-screen partner Amanda Abbington – would meet her end.

He told Radio Times: “You can always expect tragedy as well as adventure, that’s just how it goes.”